Budding flowers, bird calls sure signs of spring
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on April 29, 2013
A prior commitment kept me from the Tuesday walk this week, so Norwin Watson volunteered to lead the hike in spite of a cold rain. The three adventurers this day drove from our meeting place to the Nordic Trails and hiked a combination of trail amounting to three miles. Norwin ...
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Rainy weather didn't stop these hikers
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on April 18, 2013
With the Ice Age Trail Alliance conference which I plan to leave for early Thursday morning, I will keep the report for this week brief. Heavy rains and thunder almost prevented us from walking on Tuesday, but the precipitation slacked off to light sprinkles by the time we met for ...
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Warmer temps, cranes make for great spring hike
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on April 9, 2013
Our Tuesday was a hike on horse trails and Ice Age Trail around Lake LaGrange. We took a longer loop than usual to get in closer to four miles rather than slightly less than three for the normal route. It was a nice evening as we were joined by two ...
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Winter hangs on, but it doesn't deter these hardy hikers
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on March 25, 2013
On Tuesday there were only four of us hiking on the white Muir trail. The trail was closed to biking but open for hiking. It was a nice hike that ended well before the sunset. The next day there were 27 of us splitting up into nearly equal sized groups. ...
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March comes in like a lion with plenty of snow to boot
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on March 11, 2013
A major winter storm rolled through during our walks the last week in February. The back roads were treacherous with wet snow and wind, creating very slippery conditions. On my way to the Tuesday walk, as I was starting down the long steep hill on Engel Road, I saw several ...
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It was the tale of two weather patterns for hikers
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on February 21, 2013
The last week in January was bad for hiking, with extremes in temperature and snow conditions. Earlier in the day, I had checked my front yard and found it wet and muddy. The ground was still frozen below a few inches from the surface. I decided that we should not ...
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Cold weather is no deterrent once these hikers get going
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on February 7, 2013
Cold weather kept the numbers lower than normal on our walks Jan. 22 and Jan. 23. On Tuesday only four of us hiked the white-blazed Muir trail under a waxing gibbous moon. This trail is well protected from the west wind, so we warmed up rather quickly after being a ...
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Light snow cover paints a pretty picture on hiking trails
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on January 24, 2013
The weather warmed up to above freezing for our walks last week. The snow was soft and easy to walk on, although a few hikers wore their Yak Trax just in case. We had been informed that the well-used trail part of the Ice Age Trail around Lake LaGrange did ...
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First snow of the seasons provides beauty, some challenges
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on January 9, 2013
Ed Rynko and I hiked around Lake LaGrange on Tuesday evening, Christmas Day. A gun deer season was on and part way around we had a friendly chat with two hunters who were walking back to the parking lot after the close of season for the day. The walk was ...
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Hikers experience some wind, but find relief amid ridges
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on December 27, 2012
Everyone who walked with me this week agreed that the weather was great for our walks. Eight walkers joined me on the Tuesday walk and 30 came for the Wednesday walk. We have not had a measurable snowfall since sometime in March, the longest time without measurable snow in recorded ...
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No snow means the trails are seeing a lot of hikers lately
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on December 18, 2012
It was unusually warm in the upper 50s for our Tuesday walk the first week in December. We decided to take on the Nordic Trails. The sun set as we started our walk and it was breezy. A combination of the green trail with the extension of adding a blue ...
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Hikers seek out parks where hunting is prohibited
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on December 4, 2012
The weather was great for hiking Thanksgiving week when the traditional gun deer season was on. Our long-distance hikers chose to go to Lapham Peak State Park where hunting is prohibited. We met up at the Evergreen Grove parking lot with some of our hikers who live nearby. We split ...
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Mist, rain do not deter this group of dedicated hikers
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on November 19, 2012
Light rain was coming down during the last Tuesday walk in October, when we met at the Nordic trails in La Grange Township. We hiked the 3 7/10-mile, green-blazed trail. If I had to pick just one of the Nordic trails to hike, I would choose this one for scenery. ...
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Colors become more muted, but walks still enjoyable for all
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on November 5, 2012
Our Tuesday, Oct. 23, walk was on the white and red blazed Nordic ski trails north of LaGrange. All seven of us walked counterclockwise. The weather was very humid with some fog in the air. The following day the weather was better, but warmer and still humid. It was sunny ...
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Fall hikers dodge the raindrops, find plenty of color left
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on October 24, 2012
What a difference a few days can make. Two weeks ago, the colors in the Southern Kettle Moraine were near peak. A week later, I led a 10-mile hike from the Scuppernong trailhead to the state forest headquarters on Wisconsin Highway 59. The colors were at peak and better than I ...
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Fall bloomers showing their colors at Scuppernong Prairie
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on October 8, 2012
A bit of fall color greeted us as 10 hikers walked the Whitewater Lake segment of the Ice Age Trail on Sept. 26. Two new hikers from Nebraska joined us. The following day, 31 showed up for our walks, and the weather was perfect. Ellen Davis reported the following about ...
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Late bloomers already showing their colors due to heat
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on September 4, 2012
Because there was a meeting of the local Ice Age Trail Alliance chapter on Tuesday, Aug. 21, I decided to lead a short hike around Lake LaGrange on the Ice Age Trail and horse trail while Norwin Watson and a small contingency continued the walk farther along the Ice Age Trail. ...
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Honored: Russ Helwig's work recognized with bench
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on August 23, 2012
After a week off for a fishing trip it was good to get back on the trails for a day. Three of my relatives from New Mexico were visiting this week, so I took them on our Aug. 7 walk. We had a very nice hike around Lake LaGrange and ...
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Drought leaves Kangaroo Walk above water
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on August 9, 2012
On the July 25 walk, I chose to walk with the short-distance hikers because Jake Gerlach was not able to join Ellen Davis to lead the walk. With this walk, when there are walkers who are not very familiar with the trails, one leader stays up front while the other ...
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Shorter hikes called for in the extreme heat this month
Posted by RUSS HELWIG on July 30, 2012
I decided that it was too hot on Tuesday for me to hike as the temperature went over the 100-degree mark before our walk. However, seven showed up at the U.S. Highway 12 trailhead and five still wanted to walk. They walked between three and four miles of trail south ...
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